Pirelli, Formula One's new tyre supplier, was stunned when the Sauber rookie Sergio Pérez completed the 58 laps on Sunday with only one pit stop. The company joined Formula One this year, with a brief to make racing more interesting by prompting more pit stops through the use of highly degradable rubber tyres. All the other drivers came into the pits two, three or four times but Pérez, making his Formula One debut, gave a master class in rubber conservation to finish seventh.

Paul Hembery, Pirelli's director of motorsport, said: "We were looking and we all thought, 'He must come in. He's got to come in. What's he doing?' We thought the data men must be wrong and he must have had a stop and no one saw it. We checked. We asked, are you sure?And we were told, 'Yes, he's done just one stop. It was quite a surprise and very exciting. His driving style was also a factor and also the vehicle. It was an exceptional drive. I would be surprised if it happened often again. And if it does we would have to look at what we're doing. What do we need to do – put qualifying tyres out for races?"

It all ended sadly when Pérez and his team-mate, Kamui Kobayashi, were disqualified over a technical infringement, but on Sunday night Sauber said they would appeal.